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Vampire (Novels)
Vampires are a reanimated species that feeds and survives on the blood of the living. Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence (generally in the form of blood) of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person/being. Although vampiric entities have been recorded in many cultures, and may go back to "prehistoric times", the term vampire was not popularized until the early 18th century, after an influx of vampire superstition into Western Europe from areas where vampire legends were frequent, such as the Balkans and Eastern Europe,8 although local variants were also known by different names, such as vrykolakas in Greece and strigoi in Romania. History and Origins The origin of the vampire race remains a mystery, but it is known that The Old Ones are the first vampires, as well as the most feared and powerful of all in existence. They have never been human and they have existed long ago before the pyramids were built. It is unknown when and how The Old Ones appeared, but Klaus says that his first memory is related to the Bronze Age (between 4500-3200 BC). In The Return series, vampires destroyed are sent to the Netherworld, a purgatory of vampires. Possibly this place and the Dark Dimension are related to the beginning of The Old Ones as well as the vampires. In the books, The Old Ones do not stay together, Klaus arrived alone to Fell's Church and participated in major battles in history, but he mentions that it is one of The Old Ones, the Originals, confirmed that there are more of them. Vampires are a mythological supernatural being that returns from death and must drink the blood of living creatures in order to survive. Usually, the victim will then become a vampire themselves. The word vampire is generally believed to have Slavic origins, and there have been many variations over the centuries. But the word vampire first came into the English language during 1732. Media and foke-lore have shaped our understanding of the vampire over time, and while the vampire can differ greatly two aspects have remained strong: that vampires are immortal and that they must drink the blood of the living to survive. Blood has become the universal food source for vampires, and this is probably because blood was believed to hold supernatural qualities as a giver and keeper of life. Forms of the vampire have been around since the 1500s, but over the last century, media has relished the vampire and new 'takes' on the vampire have arisen, including the change from the vampire being a hideous monster to a more charming being. Vampire Attributes Common Attributes *''Flight:'' Several vampires have the ability to fly (Bruxsa, langsuir and aswang); others can change shape *''Misting or vaporizing:'' *''Strength:'' Increases with age *''Hypnosis:'' To lull people into doing certain things or opening doors or windows *''Change in size or dimensions:'' *''Control the elements:'' Over wind, rain and other natural forces *''Control over animals:'' Insects, rats, fleas and bats *''Eternal Life:'' Not all *''Scale walls:'' Nimble as spiders *''Transformation:'' Into bats, cats, dogs, wolves, butterflies, insects, rats, birds, fleas, mice and locusts *''Drain life force or psychic energy:'' Psychic vampires only Less Common Attributes *''Causing blights and crop failures:'' Kresnik *''Causing plagues and epidemics:'' Result of killing so many people *''Siring children:'' Offspring are phampirs in some regions *''Causing impotence:'' Nosferatu *''Stealing organs:'' Jigarkhwar (liver), Upier (heart) Mythical Ways of Becoming A Vampire Predispositions *Birth: Born at certain times of the year (new moon, holy days) *Born with red caul, with teeth, or with an extra nipple *Born with excess hair, with a red birthmark, or with two hearts *Conceived on a holy day *Weaned too early *Suckled after weaning *Born the seventh son of a seventh son *Death without baptism *Received a curse *Mother did not eat enough salt during pregnancy *Mother stared at a vampire when pregnant Actions In Life Leading To Vampiric Transformation *Committing suicide *Practicing sorcery or witchcraft *Eating sheep killed by wolves *Leading an immoral life (prostitution, murderers) *For Priests - Saying a mass while in state of mortal sin *Being a werewolf Death or Afterlife Curses *Death at the hands of a vampire *Wind from the Russian Steppe blowing on the corpse *Having a cat or other animal jump/fly over corpse *Having a shadow fall on the corpse *No burial or improper burial rites *Death by violence or murder *Murder that is un-revenged *Having a candle passed over corpse *Having one's brother sleepwalk *Death by drowning *Stealing the ropes used to bury a corpse *Being buried face up in the grave (Bulgaria) Becoming A Vampire A human needs to drink the blood of a vampire in order for the change into a vampire to begin. It seems a small amount of blood is safe enough to drink without triggering the change, but great care needs to be taken when exchanging vampire blood even as a little too much can be enough to change a person, as in Elena's case. Stefan notes that morning after Katherine blood exchanges with him, his bite wounds are healing faster, and with the new hotel next night other changes were beginning to take place. Improved vision, hearing and strength start coming in within twenty four hours of blood exchange, as well as the hunger or thirst for blood. Forty eight hours after the blood exchanging, Stefan is desperate for blood. His veins felt as if they were "dry and cracked," and he recognizes that he will not be able to resist not taking blood for much longer. This is all before the change has completed while he is still technically human and in transition. It is suggested by Stefan unless death occurs, the vampire blood will work itself eventually out of the human's system, allowing them to return to normal. "If he (Damon) had not died then, with Katherine's blood so strong in his veins, he would have had a chance. In time, the blood would have grown weaker, and then passed away. He would have become a normal human again. By killing him then, I condemned him to live in the night. I took away his only chance of salvation." How Stefan is so sure of this is never explained, and given his lack of contact with other vampires and even humans, one wonders how he even discovered this information. HOWEVER, there may be evidence to suggest that dying may not be a necessary step. There is no mention of Katherine dying to complete the change, and she herself states that she and Klaus waited for the dawn together after she'd drunk his blood. The next morning, she was miraculously cured of her illness because she was a vampire. While her death may have occurred later on and simply may not have been mentioned, it could be argued that after such a miraculous recovery, her physicians would be wanting to keep a very close eye on her. While Gudren is a formidable lady to confront, it is unlikely she'd have the power to keep Katherine's physicians away from her to prevent them from noticing she was dead at any point. Assuming that death is a necessary step in the transformation, the length of time the person seems to remain dead seems to vary. Elena returned to consciousness only a few hours after her death from drowning at Drowning Creek, while Stefan and Damon were in a death-like state for at least a few days. This may have something to do with the level of trauma a person sustains. Elena drowned, so there was very little damage to be healed, while Stefan and Damon were stabbed through the heart. Those wounds probably took longer to heal, causing them to stay dead long enough for their funeral to take place. Feeding Blood Blood is the main component of a vampire's diet. If a vampire fails to drink blood, their body will become severely weak, and eventually die of starvation. The oldest vampires do not require a lot of blood, such as newborn (Katherine attacked a man for food, after that no mention of another victim). Since the arrival of Klaus, never mentioned that Klaus kills a human by lack of blood. Katherine says she can get by on a dove at night. Evidence in The Awakening suggests that a rabbit a day is not enough for Stefan, or even several birds. Is this implying that the older a vampire gets, the more blood they need? Or is the implication that Stefan needs more as he's simply used to it? If this is the case, why would he be drinking more than he knows he needs? Is this because he's been using Powers and needs more blood? Human blood is the strongest and gives more power, though animal blood is probably enough to give Stefan his limited powers. P.108 - Stefan notes that if the need to feed gets out of control, it can cause strange things to happen. P.230 Stefan: "Humans have the strongest life essence, and their blood gives power. And when they're killed, somehow the life essence they give is strongest of all. It's as if in those last moments of terror and struggle of the soul is the most vibrant." The effects of drinking blood kick in immediately. The Struggle, P.306. Following Stefan's time in the well, he's near death with no detectable life signs. After drinking Elena's blood, Stefan regains color to his skin and a flush to his cheeks. He's also pulled back from the brink enough that he is able to laugh. P.307 His heartbeat has gone from being normal to being undetectable when Mary checks it, though a little slow, even for an athlete. This is probably due to vampires having slow heart rates, but also perhaps partly due to him not being at full health yet. Description of the hunger for blood, P.328, The Struggle: "The dry ache, the burning, was spreading along his upper jaw, whispering through his veins and capillaries." Human Food P.212 Stefan notes vampires can eat and drink human food, they just do not need it. P.329 "(Stefan) himself could chew and swallow ordinary food if he had to, though it did him no good, and he had long since lost any taste for it." Likely eating is a practice that vampires have to keep up with in order to enjoy food. Damon did not seem to have any problems with it. Limitations and Threats The most powerful limitation to a vampire is that of sunlight or intense heat. This is a well-accepted limitation of all vampires. However LJ Smith added her own mix on sunlight by giving her vampires a way of living in light - she introduced the idea of a talisman to allow vampires to be in sunlight without being harmed. The use of lapis lazuli allowed Katherine, Stefan, Elena and Damon this luxury. Even with the talisman sunlight still weakens The Vampire Diaries vampires, which is why Katherine and Damon influence the weather in order to prevent their powers from being diminished. Another limitation is running water, another common myth which states that evil cannot cross. During VD3 Katherine explains that to allow her to move around she used the tunnels so she went under running water rather than across it. Despite Elena and Stefan doubting Damon throughout the series, Damon could drive over the river with the rest of the group meaning that either he was not as powerful or evil as Katherine for running water to be one of his limitations. It is assumed that staking the vampire through the heart is a way of killing The Vampire Diaries vampires. By this, it means that LJS has ignored some of the more usual limitations on vampires (see below). But when Stefan is captured by the fathers of Fell's Church they attempt to stake him, however this is not elaborated on whether this is an effective means of killing a vampire. One of the most common woods used for stakes (particularly in Europe) was Ash. Ash was favored by vampire hunters in Northern Europe, particularly in Russia and the Baltic. According to the Roman writer Piny the Elder, all things evil feared ashwood. This wood is what Stefan and Damon used against Klaus during VD4 although it was not as effective. The name of the wood is derived from the Norse asha which is apparently what the tree of life, Yggdrasil was made from. Vampires must be invited into a dwelling - which is defined as any place a human would sleep or eat (so it can be a caravan or houseboat). Most myths explain that vampires are prevented from entering a place where humans 'live', since they are not considered 'human'. This was an interesting point to remember, since Damon was never invited into Vicki's house, which prevented him from offering any help to Vicki Bennett against Klaus. Destroying Vampires Common Methods #'Staking:' Most commonly used method #'Beheading:' Care to avoid spilling blood #'Sunlight:' Some aged and powerful vampires are immune #'Cremation:' Found over the world, scatter the ashes #'Piercing with a sword:' Blessed sword should be used #'Immersing in water:' Bathtub can be used, disposal of body can be problematic #'Drenching in garlic and holy water:' Oil, wine or vinegar can also be used #'Touching with crucifix:' Young vampire, yes. Usually a repellant #'Trapping the grave:' Iron bits, red peas, rice (Chinese) roses, garlic, stones and holy water #'Extracting the heart' Less Common Methods #'Stealing the left sock:' Only a few species #'Injecting with holy water:' Troubles of getting close enough without danger to self #'Magic:' For the trained #'Bottling:' Malyasia and Bulgaria #'Breaking of spine:' Then beheading #'Using a dhampir:' a half-vampire, usually was difficult to convince #'Using animals:' Cocks, dogs and white wolves #'Boiling of the heart:' Trouble of getting close enough Other Forms of Protection From Vampires #Garlic: Most common protective herb. Used on windows, doors, around neck. Mixed with water can be sprinkled #Holly: Placed around the house #Fishnets: Over windows. Vampires like to untangle. #Seeds: Mustard and poppy can be sprinkled on yards and walkways #Grain: Oats and other grains sprinkled over yards and walkways #Holy Water: Vials can be thrown at vampires, poured into graves or coffins. #Sprinkled on doors, windows, thresholds and other areas #Juniper: Logs in house for their anti-evil powers #Bells: Constant ringing will drive away undead #Candles: Abundance of light deters vampires, especially if blessed #Incense: Latin preferred over Eastern. Both offer powerful protection #Tar: Crosses painted with tar on doors and windows #Knives: Stab in heart. Also useful against mara #Mirrors: Placed on doors, annoy vampires #Stakes/Pins: Impale/Pierce, bad to get their blood on user #Magic/Witchcraft: For trained #Appeasement: Stalling #Crosses/Crucifixes: Traditional method, use of sacramentals can hold vampire at bay or render grave useless #Icons: Effective against Byzantine/Orthodox vampires #Eating of blood bread: Used in Poland #Burial of wine: Transylvania #Drinking blood brandy: Pomerania #Consecrated host: Hard to get and needs to be handled with care. Problem of sin of blasphemy #Prayer: Helpful Powers and Abilities *'Mind Control or Compulsion:' The supernatural ability to control and manipulate the body, mind, and soul of an animal or person. *'Weather Control': The supernatural ability allows influence meteorological energy patterns, creating rain, wind, hail, lightning, snow, sleet, fog and temperature changes. *'Elemental Manipulation:' The supernatural ability to control and manipulate the elements of air, earth, fire, water, lightning, etc. *'Animal Control:' The supernatural ability can handle all kinds of wild animals or domestic. Normally you can only control a species at a time. *'Healing:' The supernatural ability to heal all infections and injuries at an accelerated speed. *'Immortality:' The supernatural ability of eternal life and youth. *'Senses:' The supernatural ability to hear, see, smell, and also taste beyond the human limit. *'Shapeshifting:' The supernatural ability to alter and change the physical form of ones self. *'Speed:' The supernatural ability to jump, move and run at superhuman velocity. *'Strength:' The supernatural ability of abnormal strength. *'Illusion:' It is capable of disrupting the reality of one or more things at once. The Illusion is limited, since it uses a short time but because the neutralization of the enemy and does not usually give orders to the victims. *'Telepathy': The supernatural ability can communicate mentally with other vampires without physical contact and long distances. It also allows one to probe the minds of others. *'Immunity': The Old Ones can not be destroyed by sunlight, fire, wood, werewolf bite, decapitation, extraction of heart, etc. The only thing that could hurt them is the White Ash wood. Weaknesses Unlike the television series, vampires in the novels are more severely affected by weaknesses the stronger they are. *'Decapitation:' The act of dismembering or removing the head of a vampire will result in death. *'Fire or Sunlight:' Any exposure to fire or sunlight will result in death to a vampire. *'Heart Extraction: '''The act of removing a vampire's heart will result in death. *'Uninvited: A vampire cannot enter a home that have not been invitied inside of. *'''Wood: If a vampire is wounded by wood it will cause the vampire to become severely weak. However, if a wooden stake is penetrated through a vampire's heart, it will result in instant death. *'Running water': A vampire can not cross above running water but can tunnel benwith it. *'Veil Matter(Ghost)': A vampire can not hurt and defeat a ghost. But ghosts can manifest and send a vampire to a place where you can not do more damage. *'Vervain': Like in the show, Vervain is harmful to a vampire and protects humans from mind control or compulsion. *'Religious Symbols': Stefan mentions that religious symbols (crosses, holy water, and the like) will boost a person's mental resistance tremendously but only if the user truly believes it will protect them. Physical and Psychological Traits The emotions of vampires are far more intense than the emotions of humans. Anger, depression, happiness, love, sadness, etc. are more powerful and much more overwhelming than when they were human. This explains why newborn vampires are easily annoyed, due their unsettling feelings, they will continue to have mood swings until they adjust to their new emotions. Physically, vampires have human form, not show physical changes when their part vampire show. However, The Old Ones were never human, but have physical form. It has not been revealed if they have another form. Tree Vampire The Old Ones | ------------------------------------------------------------- | | | Solomon Klaus Unnamed Old Ones | ------------------------------------- | | | Sage Katherine von Swartzschild Cristian Sulez European Lady | | | Jessalyn D'Aubigne ---------------------- Ethan Crane | | | Damon Salvatore Stefan Salvatore | | Damaris Elena Gilbert Known Vampires *The Old Ones (Undead) *Klaus (Deceased, one of the Old Ones) *Katherine von Swartzschild (Deceased) *Damon Salvatore (Undead) *Stefan Salvatore (Deceased) *Cristian Sulez (Deceased) *Elena Gilbert (Revived, for a short time) *Damaris (Possibly) *Sage (Undead, presumed to be an Old One, although it is never proved) *Jessalyn D'Aubigne (Undead) *Ethan Crane (Deceased) *Unnamed European Lady (Ethan's creator) (Undead) Trivia *In the series, initially the fog (weather control) and animal control were used by Damon but were removed. * Usually, these two abilities are mixed up: Weather Manipulation and Elemental Control. **The first directly affects the environment and nature can change drastically from one place. **The second is able to use elements of their environment but is usually used one at a time and its scope is limited to what is seen. *In the books, there is only one accurate generation of vampires. It begins with Klaus and ends with Elena. **Klaus turned Katherine, Katherine turned Damon and Stefan, and Damon and Stefan turned Elena. *In the "The Hunters" series, Cristian Sulez is no longer a vampire and his sister Meredith is not supernatural. However, in the original series, they were both derived from a species of vampires. *In Dark Reunion, Tyler mentions that Klaus made a pact with "the Devil", however, not set if it is real or not this information, as well as the origin of Klaus and The Old Ones. See also Category:Vampires Category:Undead Category:Supernatural Category:Novel Characters